Why They Call It Bee Balm

Things are blooming like crazy in my yard. I've got day lillies (Hemerocallis spp.), and phlox (Phlox sp.), and butterfly bush (Buddleja sp.), and echinancea (Echinacea spp.), and black-eyed Susans (Redbeckia hirta L). But, if I had to pick a favorite, it woud probably be the bee balm (Monarda didyma L.) that has developed vigorous clumps in strategic places around the yard (thx, Elysa).  Gorgeous crimson color (see Bee Balm) and the bees love it. [NOTE: More to the point, Native Americans have longed used Monarda as a poultice to treat skin infections and minor wounds, e.g. bee stings. The species is a natural source of the antiseptic, Thymol].

Bee Balm

The bee balm (Monarda didyma L.) is in full bloom and my front yard is awash in scarlet. Off to Vietnam tomorrow for a few weeks to give a training workshop in Quang Tri province and start setting up pilot projects on controlled rattan harvesting in two communes.